Some terms you may want to know more about are here for your convenience.
Barrel Technique: A training method to increase a dog’s intensity & steadiness at whoa.
Beeper: Dog collar that emits a sound while the dog is hunting. Used to locate the dog.
Bird shyness: Dog is afraid of birds, sight or smell (see blinking).
Birdy: A dog that is excited about birds.
Birdiness: A dog’s level of excitement when presented with birds.
Blind retrieve: Dog makes a retrieve on a bird he did not see fall.
Blinking: Dog smells bird, then shies away from it. Afraid of the bird it smells. Purposely avoids birds.
Bumping or Busting: A dog that purposely causes a bird flush is 'bumping' birds. Undesirable on a pointing dog.
Chasing: Dog chases a bird not shot.
Checking: The action of applying a short duration - momentary retraction or jerking of the leash or check cord. Checking can be gentle, as in teaching come or with more force as necessary.
Check Cord: a length of cord, usually stiff in composition so as to not tangle easy in heavy cover, with a brass snap on one end. Used to train bird dogs, usually 20 to 30 feet long.
Choke chain: A dog collar designed to constrict/choke when pulled on by the handler.
Come or Here: Dog command that requires the dog to proceed immediately to the handler.
Companion Gun Dog: A dog used to hunt birds that also serves as a family pet.
Crate: A small plastic pen used to confine dogs.
Crate training: The crate is used to potty train and offer a safe home for the dog.
Creeping: Dog finds the bird but instead of pointing, it slowly approaches the bird to get closer.
Cultivating the nose: Dog training that teaches the dog to find and hold birds as far away as possible.
Dead or Fetch: Dog command to fetch.
Standing: Dog pointing a bird. Standing hard implies intensity.
Drop or Give: Dog command to give the retrieved bird to the handler.
E-collar: Dog training collars that may deliver an electrical stimulus, and/or a vibration, and/or an audible tone as a means of training.
Environment for gun dogs: The atmosphere which the owner provides for the dog as it grows up. Very important!
Field Work: Follows Yard Work. Dog obedience and bird handling training in the field.
Finished Pointing Dog: A finished pointing dog is one that does all that a pointing dog is capable of with regard to training and experience. A finished dog is well experienced on wild birds, is steady to wing and shot, retrieves only on command and brings the birds softly to hand, honors, hunts in the appropriate style for his run, and handles kindly with little or no instruction. He knows and performs both field and basic obedience flawlessly. Similar to an AKC Master Hunter. Anything less than this is a 'started' or 'unfinished' dog of which there are varying degrees of being 'started'.
Flagging: Dog on point or scenting birds/game is wagging or twitching its tail side to side like a windshield wiper.
Flush: A bird that takes flight either by intentional flush of a human/dog or self initiated as in a 'wild flush'.
Force Fetch: Dog training that utilizes pressure to teach the dog to retrieve objects when commanded.
Game birds: Birds that are sought after by hunters and are edible such as Quail, Pheasant, Woodcock and others. Birds that reside in the uplands.
Green Trained or Green Broke: A dog that has been taught the fundamentals of field commands and pointing but lacks experience and skill acquired through many days afield and exposure to wild birds.
Gun Dog: A dog trained to hunt birds at close to medium ranges. Many hunters prefer a dog with this style. This dog hunts in a forward in a left/right pattern so as to cover the terrain thoroughly and hunt objectives found to the left and right of the hunter vs. an all-age dog that travels straight and far ahead.
Gun Scared: A dog that is not inherently afraid of loud noises or timid. This dog was made scared by incorrect/ inadvertent use of a gun in a way that made the dog afraid of the gun. Example: An experienced hunting dog with no previous or inherent gun shyness was made gun scared.
Gun shyness: Dog inherently afraid of loud noises and has other abnormal fears including things like gun fire, thunder, etc. Some pro's believe no dog is inherently susceptible to being shy but my experience has shown me that some blood lines ARE VERY timid thus they are inherently susceptible to being gun shy and that the smallest of mistakes when conditioning the dog may/will cause problems. Even dogs inherently susceptible can be properly sound conditioned thus avoiding gun shyness. These dogs are best sound conditioned by a pro.
Hand signals: A silent way to command a dog.
Hard Dog: Dog that does not shy easily. Sometimes stubborn. Accepts firm correction easily.
Hard Point: Dog is very intense on point. Dog does not move and is solid as if a sculpture.
Heel: Dog command that requires the dog to walk beside the handler with its head close to the left leg of the handler.
High tail set: Dog has and holds it's tail pointing high. Measured as on a clock, e.g.. 12:00 o'clock tail, 10:00 o'clock tail, etc.
Hobble: Training device to restrain live training birds. Also there are dog hobbles used for training.
Intense: Dog is very solid on point, almost as if a carved statue on point. Also, portrays a very strong desire to find/point birds.
Johnny House: A pen used to contain pen raised game birds. Through the use of a built in funnel, it allows pen raised birds to return after release. Birds are used to dog train.
Launcher: A mechanical device that, when triggered, catapults the bird straight upward into the air so that it may fly away from the dog in training. They are available in manual and remote control
Launcher shyness: Dog that is afraid of a launcher
Lead or Leash: A dog leash. Dog training tool used to teach dogs basic commands such as heel, whoa, sit, etc. 6 feet long is the average training length.
Line: Usually means the dog is running in a straight line. Running straight forward without quartering. A long hedge row that could hold birds would be an example of a long line for the dog to hunt.
Locator: A beeper collar with a separate control that causes the beeper to beep when activated by the push of the button by the handler.
Marked retrieve: Dog retrieves bird that it saw fall.
Marking or marking the bird: Dog watches shot bird fall. Dog watches the bird fly away.
Natural: Dog performs the desired skill with no training. Examples: Natural retriever, natural pointer, natural honoring, etc.
Objectives: Places that potentially hold game birds.
Pop: Dog hunts hard and fast, head up with strong forward movement as it seeks birds. His forward thrusts make him look as if he is popping up and down as it moves strongly through cover.
Pressure: Training the dog to comply against its will.
Quartering: A to and fro or back and forth movement of the dog as it hunts in front of the handler so as to find more birds. Example: Left to Right/windshield wiper movement. A forward figure eight pattern.
Relocation: To relocate a dog is when the dog has pointed yet no bird can be found by the handler. The field trial method of relocation is for the handler to touch or verbally order the dog to move so that it can find the bird again and reestablish point. Many hunters allow their dog to move and reestablish point on its own, termed 'self-relocation'.
Repetition: To repeat over and over until the dog understands.
Reward: Offering positive attention to the dog. Kindly spoken words, a food treat or petting as the trainer/handlers way of showing the dog approval of its actions so that it might do it again to get more attention.
Seeking objectives: The dog recognizes and hunts a place or places that could potentially holds birds such as brush, trees, plum thickets, hedge rows, etc. These potential locations of birds are objectives. A smart dog looks for objectives and 'seeks' them out by running on the downwind side of the objective to quickly and efficiently find birds.
Shooting Dog: A shooting dog is one that hunts kindly to the foot or mounted hunter. A shooting dog checks frequently but is usually farther out front of the hunter when working than the closer working 'Gun Dog'. A shooting dog is medium to farther ranging than the gun dog's close to medium range given fairly open terrain.
Sight pointing: Dog that points a bird because it sees the bird, not because it smells it.
Snappy: Dog that moves quickly afield. Is very quick in its quartering action to find birds and usually slams on point.
Soft: Dog that will not tolerate harsh training. Dog that will shy easily with too much force. NOT to be confused with being timid. See timid.
Solid on point: Dogs does not move when on point.
Sound conditioning: Dog training that ensures the dog will not be afraid of loud noises such as gun fire. Should be done before shooting a gun over any dog.
Spiked collar: A dog collar that has spikes on it and also constricts like a choke collar. A pressure training device.
Standing: Dog on point.
Started Pointing Dog: There are varying degrees of 'started dogs'. A started dog can be a 'green trained dog' - see 'green trained dog', or it can be a dog that has experience on wild birds but is not perfectly steady and/or a retriever. A started dog may or may not know its field and obedience commands. It may or may not honor. It may or may not have had any wild bird experience. It is less than 'finished', see 'finished pointing dog'.
Staunch: Dog stands intensely on point. See intense.
Steady to flush or to wing: Dog breaks point the instant the bird flushes. A dog that points then walks in with the hunter is NOT steady until flush since it moves after establishing point, not to be confused with 'relocation'.
Steady to flush or Steady to wing or Steady to shot: Dog stays on point even though the bird has taken flight. Dog breaks point when the shot is fired or the handler commands the dog to move.
Steady to kill: A dog that is more steady than 'steady to wing' but less steady than 'steady to wing and shot'. This dog is not steady to wing and shot.
Steady to wing & shot: Dog initiates point and stays on point until released by the handler even if a bird was killed. If the bird was actually shot, the handler then commands the dog to retrieve bird. The dog retrieves the bird absolutely to the hand of its owner/handler and only resumes hunting when commanded.*
Stop to flush: Occurs when a bird dog stops running (whoa's) and points the sight/sound of a wild flushing bird not caused by the dog. If the dog is bumping the bird then stopping, this is not a true stop to flush.
Stylish: Dog that presents itself in the best way a fine gun dog should. Solid on point, high tail, head high, snappy afield, etc.
Tap: to touch the dog on the head. Example: tapping the dogs head to release it.
Tie out: Dog confinement method in which a chain leash is hooked to the dogs' collar on one end and the other end is attached to stationary device such as a stake.
Timid: Dog that is overly shy. Dog cringes very easily from ordinary day to day sights and sounds. Pressure training may ruin this type of dog. This dog requires an experienced trainer unless the dog is a natural.
Tracking Collar: A collar that emits a radio frequency signal which is detected by the receiver thus indicating the location of the dog. Not to be confused with GPS technology.
Trailing: Dog that hunts with its nose to the ground tracking running game.
Trash birds: Non-Game Birds that are undesirable for the handler but sometimes interesting to bird dogs.
Unmarked retrieve: Dog retrieves bird that it did not see fall.
Whistle commands: Dog commands issued with a whistle only.
Whoa: Dog stands stationary with head held high and tail vertical.
Wild Flush: A bird that initiates flight of its own will.
Wing on a string: A game bird wing tied to fishing line attached to a fishing pole. Used to check birdiness and to see if the dog will sight point. Sometimes used to reinforce yard working commands.
Yard Work: Dog training system that is the foundation of bird dog training. Dog learns heel, whoa, come, natural retrieving, quartering, etc. in the yard before proceeding to the field for 'field work'. See 'field work'.
Barrel Technique: A training method to increase a dog’s intensity & steadiness at whoa.
Beeper: Dog collar that emits a sound while the dog is hunting. Used to locate the dog.
Bird shyness: Dog is afraid of birds, sight or smell (see blinking).
Birdy: A dog that is excited about birds.
Birdiness: A dog’s level of excitement when presented with birds.
Blind retrieve: Dog makes a retrieve on a bird he did not see fall.
Blinking: Dog smells bird, then shies away from it. Afraid of the bird it smells. Purposely avoids birds.
Bumping or Busting: A dog that purposely causes a bird flush is 'bumping' birds. Undesirable on a pointing dog.
Chasing: Dog chases a bird not shot.
Checking: The action of applying a short duration - momentary retraction or jerking of the leash or check cord. Checking can be gentle, as in teaching come or with more force as necessary.
Check Cord: a length of cord, usually stiff in composition so as to not tangle easy in heavy cover, with a brass snap on one end. Used to train bird dogs, usually 20 to 30 feet long.
Choke chain: A dog collar designed to constrict/choke when pulled on by the handler.
Come or Here: Dog command that requires the dog to proceed immediately to the handler.
Companion Gun Dog: A dog used to hunt birds that also serves as a family pet.
Crate: A small plastic pen used to confine dogs.
Crate training: The crate is used to potty train and offer a safe home for the dog.
Creeping: Dog finds the bird but instead of pointing, it slowly approaches the bird to get closer.
Cultivating the nose: Dog training that teaches the dog to find and hold birds as far away as possible.
Dead or Fetch: Dog command to fetch.
Standing: Dog pointing a bird. Standing hard implies intensity.
Drop or Give: Dog command to give the retrieved bird to the handler.
E-collar: Dog training collars that may deliver an electrical stimulus, and/or a vibration, and/or an audible tone as a means of training.
Environment for gun dogs: The atmosphere which the owner provides for the dog as it grows up. Very important!
Field Work: Follows Yard Work. Dog obedience and bird handling training in the field.
Finished Pointing Dog: A finished pointing dog is one that does all that a pointing dog is capable of with regard to training and experience. A finished dog is well experienced on wild birds, is steady to wing and shot, retrieves only on command and brings the birds softly to hand, honors, hunts in the appropriate style for his run, and handles kindly with little or no instruction. He knows and performs both field and basic obedience flawlessly. Similar to an AKC Master Hunter. Anything less than this is a 'started' or 'unfinished' dog of which there are varying degrees of being 'started'.
Flagging: Dog on point or scenting birds/game is wagging or twitching its tail side to side like a windshield wiper.
Flush: A bird that takes flight either by intentional flush of a human/dog or self initiated as in a 'wild flush'.
Force Fetch: Dog training that utilizes pressure to teach the dog to retrieve objects when commanded.
Game birds: Birds that are sought after by hunters and are edible such as Quail, Pheasant, Woodcock and others. Birds that reside in the uplands.
Green Trained or Green Broke: A dog that has been taught the fundamentals of field commands and pointing but lacks experience and skill acquired through many days afield and exposure to wild birds.
Gun Dog: A dog trained to hunt birds at close to medium ranges. Many hunters prefer a dog with this style. This dog hunts in a forward in a left/right pattern so as to cover the terrain thoroughly and hunt objectives found to the left and right of the hunter vs. an all-age dog that travels straight and far ahead.
Gun Scared: A dog that is not inherently afraid of loud noises or timid. This dog was made scared by incorrect/ inadvertent use of a gun in a way that made the dog afraid of the gun. Example: An experienced hunting dog with no previous or inherent gun shyness was made gun scared.
Gun shyness: Dog inherently afraid of loud noises and has other abnormal fears including things like gun fire, thunder, etc. Some pro's believe no dog is inherently susceptible to being shy but my experience has shown me that some blood lines ARE VERY timid thus they are inherently susceptible to being gun shy and that the smallest of mistakes when conditioning the dog may/will cause problems. Even dogs inherently susceptible can be properly sound conditioned thus avoiding gun shyness. These dogs are best sound conditioned by a pro.
Hand signals: A silent way to command a dog.
Hard Dog: Dog that does not shy easily. Sometimes stubborn. Accepts firm correction easily.
Hard Point: Dog is very intense on point. Dog does not move and is solid as if a sculpture.
Heel: Dog command that requires the dog to walk beside the handler with its head close to the left leg of the handler.
High tail set: Dog has and holds it's tail pointing high. Measured as on a clock, e.g.. 12:00 o'clock tail, 10:00 o'clock tail, etc.
Hobble: Training device to restrain live training birds. Also there are dog hobbles used for training.
Intense: Dog is very solid on point, almost as if a carved statue on point. Also, portrays a very strong desire to find/point birds.
Johnny House: A pen used to contain pen raised game birds. Through the use of a built in funnel, it allows pen raised birds to return after release. Birds are used to dog train.
Launcher: A mechanical device that, when triggered, catapults the bird straight upward into the air so that it may fly away from the dog in training. They are available in manual and remote control
Launcher shyness: Dog that is afraid of a launcher
Lead or Leash: A dog leash. Dog training tool used to teach dogs basic commands such as heel, whoa, sit, etc. 6 feet long is the average training length.
Line: Usually means the dog is running in a straight line. Running straight forward without quartering. A long hedge row that could hold birds would be an example of a long line for the dog to hunt.
Locator: A beeper collar with a separate control that causes the beeper to beep when activated by the push of the button by the handler.
Marked retrieve: Dog retrieves bird that it saw fall.
Marking or marking the bird: Dog watches shot bird fall. Dog watches the bird fly away.
Natural: Dog performs the desired skill with no training. Examples: Natural retriever, natural pointer, natural honoring, etc.
Objectives: Places that potentially hold game birds.
Pop: Dog hunts hard and fast, head up with strong forward movement as it seeks birds. His forward thrusts make him look as if he is popping up and down as it moves strongly through cover.
Pressure: Training the dog to comply against its will.
Quartering: A to and fro or back and forth movement of the dog as it hunts in front of the handler so as to find more birds. Example: Left to Right/windshield wiper movement. A forward figure eight pattern.
Relocation: To relocate a dog is when the dog has pointed yet no bird can be found by the handler. The field trial method of relocation is for the handler to touch or verbally order the dog to move so that it can find the bird again and reestablish point. Many hunters allow their dog to move and reestablish point on its own, termed 'self-relocation'.
Repetition: To repeat over and over until the dog understands.
Reward: Offering positive attention to the dog. Kindly spoken words, a food treat or petting as the trainer/handlers way of showing the dog approval of its actions so that it might do it again to get more attention.
Seeking objectives: The dog recognizes and hunts a place or places that could potentially holds birds such as brush, trees, plum thickets, hedge rows, etc. These potential locations of birds are objectives. A smart dog looks for objectives and 'seeks' them out by running on the downwind side of the objective to quickly and efficiently find birds.
Shooting Dog: A shooting dog is one that hunts kindly to the foot or mounted hunter. A shooting dog checks frequently but is usually farther out front of the hunter when working than the closer working 'Gun Dog'. A shooting dog is medium to farther ranging than the gun dog's close to medium range given fairly open terrain.
Sight pointing: Dog that points a bird because it sees the bird, not because it smells it.
Snappy: Dog that moves quickly afield. Is very quick in its quartering action to find birds and usually slams on point.
Soft: Dog that will not tolerate harsh training. Dog that will shy easily with too much force. NOT to be confused with being timid. See timid.
Solid on point: Dogs does not move when on point.
Sound conditioning: Dog training that ensures the dog will not be afraid of loud noises such as gun fire. Should be done before shooting a gun over any dog.
Spiked collar: A dog collar that has spikes on it and also constricts like a choke collar. A pressure training device.
Standing: Dog on point.
Started Pointing Dog: There are varying degrees of 'started dogs'. A started dog can be a 'green trained dog' - see 'green trained dog', or it can be a dog that has experience on wild birds but is not perfectly steady and/or a retriever. A started dog may or may not know its field and obedience commands. It may or may not honor. It may or may not have had any wild bird experience. It is less than 'finished', see 'finished pointing dog'.
Staunch: Dog stands intensely on point. See intense.
Steady to flush or to wing: Dog breaks point the instant the bird flushes. A dog that points then walks in with the hunter is NOT steady until flush since it moves after establishing point, not to be confused with 'relocation'.
Steady to flush or Steady to wing or Steady to shot: Dog stays on point even though the bird has taken flight. Dog breaks point when the shot is fired or the handler commands the dog to move.
Steady to kill: A dog that is more steady than 'steady to wing' but less steady than 'steady to wing and shot'. This dog is not steady to wing and shot.
Steady to wing & shot: Dog initiates point and stays on point until released by the handler even if a bird was killed. If the bird was actually shot, the handler then commands the dog to retrieve bird. The dog retrieves the bird absolutely to the hand of its owner/handler and only resumes hunting when commanded.*
Stop to flush: Occurs when a bird dog stops running (whoa's) and points the sight/sound of a wild flushing bird not caused by the dog. If the dog is bumping the bird then stopping, this is not a true stop to flush.
Stylish: Dog that presents itself in the best way a fine gun dog should. Solid on point, high tail, head high, snappy afield, etc.
Tap: to touch the dog on the head. Example: tapping the dogs head to release it.
Tie out: Dog confinement method in which a chain leash is hooked to the dogs' collar on one end and the other end is attached to stationary device such as a stake.
Timid: Dog that is overly shy. Dog cringes very easily from ordinary day to day sights and sounds. Pressure training may ruin this type of dog. This dog requires an experienced trainer unless the dog is a natural.
Tracking Collar: A collar that emits a radio frequency signal which is detected by the receiver thus indicating the location of the dog. Not to be confused with GPS technology.
Trailing: Dog that hunts with its nose to the ground tracking running game.
Trash birds: Non-Game Birds that are undesirable for the handler but sometimes interesting to bird dogs.
Unmarked retrieve: Dog retrieves bird that it did not see fall.
Whistle commands: Dog commands issued with a whistle only.
Whoa: Dog stands stationary with head held high and tail vertical.
Wild Flush: A bird that initiates flight of its own will.
Wing on a string: A game bird wing tied to fishing line attached to a fishing pole. Used to check birdiness and to see if the dog will sight point. Sometimes used to reinforce yard working commands.
Yard Work: Dog training system that is the foundation of bird dog training. Dog learns heel, whoa, come, natural retrieving, quartering, etc. in the yard before proceeding to the field for 'field work'. See 'field work'.
